We Are Committed To Destigmatizing The Word "Trauma"

Trauma is commonly defined as physical or psychological "damage" that follows an incredibly distressing event. Its association with the word "damage" and its use when referring to extremely disturbing events has caused the word to become stigmatized-- leaving many to feel embarrassed or ashamed of incurring trauma.

However, at BodyWise Foundation, we define trauma as anyexperience that is overwhelming for the system, or that the system does not have the resources to integrate.

Everybody has experienced trauma in their own unique way, and it is incredibly common .

Our bodies are equipped to handle everyday stress. When we experience a perceived "threat", like the car slamming it's breaks in front of us, our nervous system is activated to respond. In a healthy system, one would respond by also slowing their car. Their nervous system would then de-escalate from a state of heightened arousal and return to a baseline, or relaxed state, relatively quickly.

When we experience overwhelming trauma or consistent stress, however, our nervous system becomes overwhelmed and cannot return to its normal, relaxed setting. This has great psychological and physical effects on an individual.

“Trauma is a fact of life but it doesn’t have to be a life sentence.”-Peter Levine, PhD